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100s of Syrian Refugees Set to Leave Lebanon, Return Home

100s of Syrian Refugees Set to Leave Lebanon, Return Home
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Buses to transport flocks of Syrian refuges from southeastern Lebanon to Damascus arrived in Lebanese territory from Syria late Wednesday morning.

100s of Syrian Refugees Set to Leave Lebanon, Return Home

Their return was originally scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with refugees gathered to board the more than a dozen buses that would take them from Lebanon's Shebaa and Hasbaya to the Syrian border, according to a General Security statement released Tuesday evening.

The convoy to transport them comes amidst repeated calls by Lebanese leaders for the return of refugees to Syrian areas they deem safe.

A UN spokesperson and a Lebanese security source said that there were unconfirmed reports that the convoy was set to head towards Beit Jinn, a town southwest of Damascus, rather than Eastern Ghouta, as had previously been reported.

As many as 500 refugees were taking part in the convoy, which contained at least 15 buses, the security source said.

UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, was "aware of the impending return" of the families awaiting buses in Shebaa, according to an official press statement.

"UNHCR is not involved in the organization of these returns or other returns at this point, considering the prevailing humanitarian and security situation in Syria," the statement read.

Nearly one million UN-registered Syrian refugees currently live in Lebanon.
In Shebaa, dozens of Syrian families gathered outdoors with their suitcases, backpacks and other belongings, as they waited for the buses that would take them across the border.

The fact that people were returning to Syria were a sign of stability in parts of the country following more than eight years of conflict, Lebanese MP Qassem Hashem, who was at the gathering point Wednesday morning, said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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